clamp

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
clamp1

▶noun

• 1 a brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things together.

• 2 an electric circuit maintaining the voltage limits of a signal at prescribed levels.

▶verb

• 1 fasten in place or together with a clamp.

  ■ hold (something) tightly against something else.

  ■ fit a wheel clamp to (an illegally parked car).

• 2 (clamp down) suppress or prevent something.

• 3 maintain the voltage limits of (an electrical signal) at prescribed values.

– derivatives
clamper noun.

– origin ME: prob. of Du. or Low Ger. origin and rel. to clam.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
clamp2

▶noun Brit.

• 1 a heap of potatoes or other root vegetables stored under straw or earth.

• 2 a three-sided structure used to store silage.

– origin C16 (denoting a pile of bricks for firing): prob. from Du. klamp ‘heap’; rel. to clump.